Traitor
by RunicBells
Summary: The unthinkable has happened to the Smashers. A former ally has declared war on them and plans to invade the Smash Mansion. Suspicions runs high as they hunt their betrayer and a question hangs in the air: Who can be trusted? -Mild SnakexPeach, PitxZelda-
1. Prologue

**T-R-A-I-T-O-R  
Prologue**

"Firebird, what's your status?"

Falco glanced at the passing scenery below before answering, "No problem here, Fox." He skimmed the Arwing over the trees before pulling up. "No sign of our mysterious craft either. Figure we should move on?"

"Negative. There's something out here, something possibly dangerous that landed in this area. Wolf knew what he saw when he reported it in."

"I wonder why that furball isn't here right now. It's not like O'Donnell to sit out a mission like this. Maybe the rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Fox had a sharper edge to his voice.

Falco rolled his eyes. "You seriously don't know? It's been the talk of the Mansion… whoa! What's going on here?"

"What happened?"

Falco fiddled with the knobs and ran a quick system check. "All programs are properly working… no damage to the Arwing… sensors are going wild though." He turned the secondary systems off and did a reboot. It made no difference. "I'm getting massive energy readings here, sensors detect a ship below me but I don't see it," Falco switched his headset radio out of the private channel. "Samus, Olimar, are your ships getting any odd readings?"

"Affirmative," Samus's voice crackled through the radio. "I'm picking up faint frequencies from your position, Falco."

"Radio signals, to be more precise," Olimar added. "I've saved it to my ship's computers to decipher later. And, uh, I'm getting off-the-chart results from my scanners."

"I'm heading over Falco," Fox said. "Our little UFO might be there."

Falco fingered his blaster. "You do that; I'm going down to check it out."

"You're doing what–"

"Look, I'm going down there whether you like it or not. If you want to send someone with me, feel free to. But I want to see what this is up close. Something tells me that whoever's down there isn't friendly."

"Which is why, as your squadron leader, I'm ordering you to stay where you are!"

"No can do," Falco prepared for a landing. "A quick look at our possible enemies will be hugely advantageous. Besides," His grip on the controls tightened. "I got bored waiting for something to happen."

"Falco–"

"I'll leave the headset on. Falco, over and out."

* * *

Fox threw his hands into the air. Did that bird have to be so brash?

With a resigned sigh, he checked the squadron's coordinates. "Olimar, catch up with Falco. Radio in if anything goes wrong."

A long silence. "Olimar?"

"I can't fight," the Hocotanian said. "I'm a space explorer, a scientist…"

"Olimar, just get your butt down there!"

"… Yes sir."

Fox would've liked to pick his own squad for this reconnaissance mission. But Master Hand had given him little choice and had seemed to randomly thrown together the people who could fly a ship. "What's the difference?" Master Hand had said when Fox protested. "As long as they can fly and shoot a gun, all is well."

Fox wished that was true.

Wolf had been on guard duty, patrolling the borders when he reported a UFO landing in the forests nearby. This caused quite a stir among the Smashers and, much to Fox's annoyance, had a rumor starting that an invasion was taking place.

It seemed to tick off the Hands as well. After all, how are the Smashers supposed to focus on fighting when they were worrying their heads off about a potential attack? So Master Hand sent the Head of Security (who was, of course, Fox) with a team to put an end to the silly rumor…

… Which seemed all too real right now. But who would invade them? Who in the god-damned World would attack them? Tabuu was gone and no villain in their right mind would launch an attack, not with the Hands and their Fighting Alloys on the Smasher's side…

"Fox!"

Fox sat up at the urgent sound of Olimar's voice. "Olimar, what's your status?"

"Falco's out… army… outnumbered and they're closing in on us… don't know how much longer… hold them off…"

"Olimar, you're breaking up! Olimar!"

Static.

Fox wanted to pound the dashboard in frustration. "Samus, I'm going down. Stay here and Radio Mater Hand, tell him to send backup immediately. If I don't contact you in a minute, feel free to follow me."

"Roger that," Samus sounded reluctant. "Fox? Be careful. I have a bad feeling about this."

Fox took a deep breath. "So do I."

* * *

**A/N: And so begins the (hopefully) epic adventure! This'll be my first attempt at writing a serious SSBB fanfic. Feel free to flame, review, whatever :D Oh, and yes... I do not own Super Smash Brothers Brawl though I wish I did XD  
**


	2. The Mission Failed

**T-R-A-I-T-O-R  
The Mission Failed**

"This won't hurt a bit."

"Wonderful. Now I know it'll hurt like hell."

Mario ignored his patient's remark and said, "Hold out your arm, Toon Link. It'll be over quickly if you cooperate."

Toon Link's arm remained firmly plastered to his side. "What is this shot for anyway?" Mario sighed.

"I've already told you. It's a vaccine for the flu that's passing around. You don't want to get sick, right?"

"I don't get sick."

"Everybody gets sick once or–"

"I'm not kidding!" Toon Link protested. "I've never gotten sick, never!" He jumped off his seat and said, "I don't want… need… a shot!" His shrill voice had become even shriller as he vehemently argued.

The Italian plumber sighed again. "Pichu and Lucas took it without a fuss." The words had no impact on his patient. Mario set the syringe down. "Go on out then. But if you get ill, don't blame me."

"That's a jolly good doctor," Toon Link grinned, pleased at his at his small victory. He skipped away, belting out a merry tune, his mood drastically changed. He didn't get far. Right when Toon Link opened the door, a blue blur knocked him aside. Sonic the Hedgehog screeched to a stop in front of Mario and spoke so fast that it was hard to understand what he was saying.

"Sorry-about-that-Toon-Link, Mario-Master-Hand-wants-you-up-oh-crap-what'd-I-step-in? –at-the-hanger-bay-stat-dunno-what-happened-hey-Toon-Link-stop-that-ow! –Erm, the-medical-team- (gasp, wheeze) – is-already-there-better-hurry… Stop it!" Sonic glared at Toon Link who was whacking him with his sword.

"You nearly gave me a concussion!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Mario slipped out as the two argued and sprinted through the hallways. Boy, first week as Head Doctor and there's already a crisis. Sure, he had a good knowledge of medicine and such, but good didn't always cut it. Everyone looked up to him though, and they all expected great things from him. The pressure was on the moment he stood up on that stage to accept the award from Master Hand.

Mario had to admit that the past weeks had been stone-dead boring. So perhaps some excitement would be welcome.

"As long as it's only a _little_ excitement," Mario muttered. When the doors to the hanger boy swung into view, he mentally kept his fingers crossed for a false alarm.

* * *

_I must tell you to calm down, sir. Your injuries are severe and–_

"Falco and Olimar are still out there!" Fox snapped. "I'm going back to get them!"

Lucario barred Fox's way. The Pokemon's scarlet eyes narrowed. Yes, McCloud was quite a feisty one, especially in situations concerning his comrades.

_Sir,_ Lucario said through telepathy. _You are in no condition to go anywhere. I understand your concern, but you will be helping no one if you are dead._ His expression softened. _You must rest now. I assure you, we will make an effort to rescue them. Do not worry._

The ace pilot seemed to struggle briefly with himself before wearily giving a jerk of his head. Lucario took this to be an agreement and signaled for a stretcher to be brought over. Fox's injuries were indeed grave, but he would live. Samus sustained no major wounds, thank Mew. The bounty hunter would be back on her feet in a week or so.

It was what she brought with her that was making Lucario worry his head off.

"Jigglypuff jiggly," Jigglypuff was suddenly alongside him, a stylish white hat tilted on her head. "Puff jiggly puff?"

Lucario followed her pointed gaze. "He should be here, right about…" The doors flew open, in came Mario. "… Now."

"I came as fast as I could," the Italian plumber panted. "Where's Master Hand?"

"Puff jigglypuff puff." Jigglypuff replied callously. Lucario was quick to translate.

"He left. You took too long to come."

Mario met Jigglypuff's cold glare with his own. Many found it hard to believe that this Balloon Pokemon was the unofficial leader of the medical team. She had little expertise in the area of healing that required magic, but her knowledge as a physician and surgeon was unrivaled… except by Mario. Perhaps that was why Jigglypuff was so bitter towards him.

"I take it I'm not needed then," Mario said.

Jigglypuff cleared her throat. "Puff jiggly puff jigglypuff puff."

"On the contrary," Lucario said. "You are needed more than you think. There's something you must see. Follow me."

* * *

Snake leaned back in his chair and said grumpily, "I give. This thing's got me beat." The agent ground his cigarette stub on the table. "Can't figure out what the hell it is." R.O.B. thoughtfully looked up at him.

"Do not give up yet, Snake. The answer will come," the robot said. Snake was about to snap back at R.O.B. when Lucario, along with Mario and Jigglypuff, came in.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," Snake said. "Nobody died? All the good equipment was saved? Great, everyone's happy." He moodily bit into an energy bar.

"Have we made any progress?" Lucario asked.

"You gave us this thing like… what? Half an hour ago. You think we've made progress? Please." Snake glanced at Mario and added, "Nice trench coat. I noticed these things are in fashion with those doctors and all."

"What is this… erm… thing you're talking about?" Mario asked.

R.O.B. held up a wiggling, pulsating mass. "This."

Mario blinked. It looked very much like a Gooey Bomb, but there was something in the center that emitted the flashing, colorful lights. "May I?" He looked questioningly at Snake. The agent shrugged.

"Go right ahead," Snake said. "Just don't stick your nose in there. It's damned hard to get off. Spent forever scraping it off of Samus's power suit."

The mysterious object felt surprisingly light. It was almost weightless, as heavy as air. Mario fancied that he heard a faint heartbeat emanating from it. He peered closer into it and saw a shimmering light in the middle.

"Put your finger through it," Snake said. Mario looked up in surprise. "Go right ahead, it won't kill you. I tried it myself."

Mario hesitated before doing what Snake suggested. His finger went straight through the center and Mario felt an odd tingling sensation creeping up his arm. He jerked his finger out. Jigglypuff was unimpressed.

"Jiggly, puff jiggly jiggly puff jigglypuff?" Jigglypuff demanded.

"She wants to know if you have any theories on what it might be," Lucario translated. R.O.B. let out a whistling whir.

"It might be some type of transmitter device," R.O.B. said. "Maybe an organic battery."

"_Organic_? Are you telling us that this… thing might be alive?" Mario stared in disbelief at the object in his hand. Snake loudly coughed.

"Then again, you only gave us half an hour." Snake said. "If you'll be so kind to come back to us some later time, we'll have something, hopefully." He held out his hand. "I'll take that back, if you'll be so kind." Mario was more than happy to return it.

"Jigglypuff, jiggly jiggly puff jiggly."

"There's something else you'll need to see," Lucario translated. "A very interesting… specimen we found in Samus's ship when she came in. It's down this way."

The basement of the hanger bay could be described in one word: musty. Everything was covered with a fine, thin layer of dust. Huge cobwebs, which had probably been there for centuries, hung in the ceiling like party banners. Whenever Mario inhaled the thick, stale air, he thought he could feel the dust swirling around in his lungs.

But the cage sitting in the middle of the room looked out of place. Something was curled up in the cage, giving a quiet snarl between intervals.

"Jigglypuff jiggly jiggly puff." Jigglypuff nodded at the cage.

"Step closer. Do not be afraid. We have a force shield keeping the specimen contained."

Mario did so and gently tapped on the bars. The creature's head shot up and the Italian plumber almost gasped in astonishment. It was similar to Yoshi, except Yoshi didn't have dangerous looking fangs sticking out of his maw! The creature had two huge wings and regarded Mario with hateful eyes. It was dripping something silver from its body. Realization hit Mario. It was made of liquid metal.

"An odd turn of events, no?" Lucario walked around the creature's cage and added, "We've referred it as Ferox. Wild in Latin." The Pokemon tapped the bars. Ferox growled. "And this is what Master Hand called you in for."

Mario tore his eyes away from Ferox. "What do you want me to do?"

"You seem to have more than enough time on your hands, and your help will be greatly appreciated. You have some knowledge of aliens, correct? We would like you to study it, record its actions, its… properties." Lucario had an expectant tone in his voice as he spoke. Mario was reminded of those little meetings he had with the Hands. _We expect extraordinary things from you, Mr. Nintendo. Surely you can do _anything_ we throw at you._

"If you want an alien expert, or a scientist," Mario said. "You'll be talking to Olimar or–"

"Let me put this straight, Mario." Lucario leaned in. "Olimar and Falco are MIA. You are one of the few choices for this task, and the best candidate if I may dare say. So Head Doctor, _sir_, I would take the task if I were you as we are short on people to do this. You can be trusted to keep this a secret–"

"A secret?" Mario said. "What do you mean by that?"

Jigglypuff adjusted the hat on her head. "Puff jigglypuff jiggly."

"There has been… talk of a traitor among our midst." Lucario looked around him cautiously before switching to telepathy. _We have reason to believe, Mario, that we had been betrayed._

Mario threw his hands into the air. "Mama mia! How is that possible? Where did you hear this?"

_McCloud said it himself. Granted, he was a bit dazed when he returned, but we managed to exert some information from him._

A traitor in the Smash mansion? How could that be? That wasn't possible! Mario bit his lip. This wasn't a crisis. This was a catastrophe. "Who could've done it? Surely it couldn't be one of us!"

Jigglypuff answered smugly, "Puff jiggly puff jigglypuff jiggly."

Lucario stared deep into Mario's eyes before answering coolly, "We've already captured our suspects."

* * *

**A/N: I don't own Super Smash Brothers, though I wish I do D: Ah, an explanation here of how the Smash Mansion works around here. There's the Head Doctor, Head of Security, and the Council Members. Everything is a democracy and each Head person is appointed by all the Smashers. And of course, Master Hand and Crazy Hand are at the top. :3 Enjoy and review!**


	3. The Deceived and the Deceiver

**T-R-A-I-T-O-R  
The Deceived and the Deceiver**

Snake scrolled through the thick files, grumbling to himself as he opened another energy bar. "You find anything yet, R.O.B.?"

"Nothing," R.O.B. replied. "Nothing of interest, I mean." The robot sighed. "I'll run some more tests on it, see if anything comes up." He thought for a moment and added, "Do they still have the radio transmission that Olimar received? Perhaps that could give us some clue."

"You'll have to ask the Council Members about that," Snake said. "They're cranking down on security and all that crap. They say it's necessary." He got up, finished off the rest of his energy bar and tossed the remains into the wastebasket. "On second thought, stay here and run the tests. I'll get the transmission."

"Sure."

"If anything comes up, call me through the radio."

The halls were plastered with all sorts of flyers and junk. Spray-painted graffiti were all over the walls and Snake stepped on gum which some idiot had spat on the floor. He politely (as he could) swore and felt the chewy material harden like a rock. The Smash Mansion was a total mess, now that he thought of it. And the name… it was stupid to call the Smash Mansion a mansion when it wasn't. It was part tourist trap, part military base, part home. Underground networks, gift shops, queen-sized beds… whatever you wanted, you got it.

Snake racked his brains as he tried to remember who was in charge of clean up. Had it been Game and Watch? If only there was some sort of suggestions box. He could've written a whole novel with his complaints.

Quiet voices drifted from Snake's left. The agent changed his direction and quickened his pace.

They were near a beat-up fountain. Peach, one of the Council Members, looked… well… annoyed. She had her arms folded across her chest, a dangerous spark in her blue eyes as she softly spoke. Much to Snake's surprise, Wario was there. Mario's rival was rarely seen out of the kitchen or his room. The other Smashers usually forgot that he existed, despite the fact that he was the one who cooked most of their meals. Snake often made a point to avoid him. Wario often gloated in his face or bitterly complained about the treatment he was getting from the others. The usual smugness in his face was gone, though, and seemed serious.

"I understand, Wario," Peach said, her voice taut. "I have half a mind to leave the Council now that I hear of this."

"No, no, that's not a good idea," Wario shook his head. "Look, you have to stay on. It might be your vote that'll change this."

"Might is the key word there."

"Fine, _will_ then." Wario looked back and jumped, as though he had just noticed Snake was standing there. "Yeah, well… gotta go now. If I don't get to the kitchen before Kirby, he's gonna eat all of the food." He shoved past Snake, head bowed, muttering darkly under his breath. Peach sat down on the crumbling stone of the fountain.

"Do you need something?" Peach's voice still had that unusual strain.

Snake thought it would be wise not to say anything about what he had heard. "You know that radio transmission Olimar got? It might be useful if we could use it, you know, gather some intel." The princess dipped a finger in the murky water. Ripples speeded and distorted the dark surface.

"Of course. Will that be all?"

"Yes… and no." Snake said. He couldn't keep his trap shut about that conversation. He knew he had stumbled into something big. "I overheard you talking to Wario. What was that about?" Peach stared through him.

"I'll send over the hard drive the transmission was saved on as soon as possible. Have a nice day, Snake." She walked past him without looking back.

Snake watched her leave and secretly admired the grace she walked with, how she had controlled her emotions. For once, Master Hand had made the right choice. Peach was an excellent Council Member, and could be tough when needed.

"Something's going on here, and I have a feeling we're gonna get into a hell lot of trouble when we find out," Snake muttered.

"Snake? Are you there?"

His radio crackled to life. Snake was quick to answer. "What is it?"

"You should come here quickly. Something… weird is happening."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

Being held in an uncomfortable prison cell had made his list plenty of times. He just didn't expect to be confined by his fellow Smashers.

Wolf stared defiantly back at his accuser, his face a blank slate with no sign of any emotions. He folded his paws over the rough surface of the table and said, "I didn't come down here willingly for an interrogation. What I came down here for was to find out what the hell happened to that reconnaissance team out there."

Mr. Game and Watch looked questioningly at Master Hand. The Hand sighed. "Write it down. All right, Mr. O'Donnell. We aren't exactly sure what the fates of Falco or Olimar are. Right now, as we speak, we are sending a team–"

"Which I would like to be on," Wolf said.

Master Hand drummed his fingers for effect. "Mr. O'Donnell, you are a suspected Smasher and will be kept under the tightest security until you can be trusted."

"I thought we were running a democracy," Wolf answered coldly. He stood up. "Now I see this as a tyrannical rule."

Mario suddenly burst in, his cap awkwardly tilted, an enraged look on his face. "What is the meaning of this, Master Hand?"

"Ah, Mr. Nintendo. Just the man we need. You came just in time to–"

"I've been told that several Smashers had been tossed in here without my knowledge!"

Master Hand said, "You didn't know? Well, the Council has agreed, and I can say that these are the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the wellbeing of the Smash Mansion and Smashers…"

"… Only if we are at war!" Mario snapped. "And from what I can tell, they are being interrogated!"

"Which, I assure you, Mr. Nintendo, it is certainly–"

"True," Wolf cut Master Hand off. "I would've thought that princess of yours would vote against it… if there had been a Council Meeting at all."

_What?_

"_I _am doing the explaining here, Mr. O'Donnell," Master Hand said sharply. "And now, I would like you to return to your quarters. You have done enough." He signaled for Game and Watch to take the mercenary away. The monochrome man tried to drag Wolf out of the room, but his grip was easily shrugged off.

"Is that furball McCloud all right?" Wolf asked. Mario gave a stiff nod. Wolf visibly relaxed and briskly walked away. Mr. Game and Watch gave a harried _bleep_ and quickly followed him. Master Hand turned to the Italian plumber.

"Go back to what you do best, Mr. Nintendo," Master Hand said. "If you are unwilling to cooperate for the good of us all, go back to your little lab. I have no further use for you."

Mario glared at the Hand and left without another word.

* * *

Lucas had been sorting through the medical tools when Mario came stomping in. The boy quickly stepped in front of the angered doctor and said, "What's the problem?"

"How are our patients doing?" Mario ignored his assistant's question. Lucas walked back to the table where he had been sorting.

"Everything's fine. Nothing to be worried about, all vitals are stable. What's going on?"

Mario folded his arms. "It's best if you didn't know."

Lucas turned around and risked a small smile. "I'm fifteen, Mario, and I'll be turning sixteen in a week. I'm not a little kid anymore, and you don't need to treat me like one."

"I'm not in the mood to talk," Mario said. "Stop sorting those. Keep a close eye on Fox and Samus. If any problems come up…"

"… I know. I'll call you," Lucas said. "I won't forget. You don't have to worry. How long have you been teaching me? It seems like forever."

"Don't get too confident," Mario warned. "Did anything else important happen?"

"Besides the fact that our little reconnaissance team was mysteriously beaten up? No," Lucas sighed. "Have you seen Ness or the Ice Climbers hanging around? I haven't talked with them in quite a while and I'd like to know if Nana wants to have lunch with me."

"I'm afraid not," the Italian plumber said. "You'll be in charge around here until I come back and get some problems sorted out, all right?"

"Sure."

When Mario left, Lucas cautiously made sure that he was gone before bending down to peer under a cot. "Everything's clear." he whispered.

"Are you sure?" came the muffled answer.

"Positive." Lucas cleared his throat. "What did you get yourself into this time?"

"Nothing! That's the damn problem!"

"Why don't you come out? It must be cramped in there. I'm leaving a costume on this table. Master and Crazy Hand are going to be on the lookout though, so see if Toon Link can hide us in his ship. We'll meet you there." Lucas paused. "Are you sure you didn't get into any trouble? The Hands are dead set on finding you."

"I swear by Palutena that I had done nothing wrong."

"I hope you're right, Pit," Lucas sighed. "If we get caught, we're in serious trouble." He looked at Fox and Samus. "You know, I wonder what they stumbled into. It would be great if we could help out, get into the action…" Lucas snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

"You got what?" Pit peered out from his hiding place.

"Wait here. I'll find myself a replacement… I'll get Ness and the Ice Climbers to come with us… if you want to come–"

"What crazy idea do you have in your head now?"

Lucas hastily tossed several items into his backpack and said, "Considering the past crazy ideas I've had before, this one actually makes sense. Stick to the original plan, we'll all meet at Toon Link's ship. I'll explain what this is all about when we get there…"

* * *

**A/N: Ah... sorry for the delay. I got a bit caught up in my real life :3 I'm working on a Stargate Atlantis fanfiction as well, so hopefully things won't go too hectic. Enjoy!  
**


	4. First Strike

**T-R-A-I-T-O-R  
First Strike**

Ferox had stayed in the corner of his cell the entire day.

The mysterious creature did not move from his spot, did not make any noise, but in the moments where it made brief eye contact with Mario, the plumber could see an almost human emotion of frustration and pain.

Ferox was an oddity. An hour ago, it had shape-shifted into an exact replica of Lucario, and in the next hour it was a plant-creature, its metallic leaves swaying in the nonexistent wind. And now, it was a nondescript person, its head bowed as he crouched in the corner, little wisps of silver dancing off its back. There was something hauntingly beautiful about its transformations. It was a silence dance that mocked Mario's lack of understanding about what true beauty was, as well as his fear of the unknown.

Mario noted each of its transformations down carefully on the computer and tried his best to ignore Crazy Hand, who was hiding among the crates to keep a close eye on him.

_You are different than the others._

Mario struck the wrong key in his surprise and turned around. Ferox was staring at him with a great intensity that made the plumber uneasy. It stood up, liquid metal dripping from its body. Ferox tilted its head and its words resounded through Mario's head. _Whenever you look at me… it is with… an odd emotion I do not understand. Your people… they look at me with the fear and hatred I deserve. Why do you feel this emotion?_

Mario opened his mouth to answer, and then noticed Crazy peeking over. If he answered Ferox, the Hand was sure to run off to his older brother and rat out the plumber. He returned his attention to the computer and, as calmly as he could, pretended to type.

_I know you can hear me. _Ferox walked up to the bars of its cell. Slim fingers reached out, only to be jerked back by an electric shock. _What is this emotion you call? The emotion you're feeling? It is odd. It is similar to sadness. What is the name of it? _Mario felt a surge of anger flash through his mind. _Answer me!_

He would have loved to answer Ferox, but it was damned impossible as long as Crazy Hand hung around. Mario snuck a glance at the Hand before carefully typing out the words on the computer screen. _Can you read this?_

Ferox's eyes zeroed onto the screen and the plumber felt its satisfaction. _You are the most empathetic of your people. I can sense it. You understand my plight._

Mario hesitated before slowly typing, _Who are you?_

_I am an organic machine. An OM. My sole purpose was to be the ultimate weapon._

Mario stopped. A weapon?

_You are alarmed. But you are not afraid. That is good. _Ferox was beginning to melt, merging into the silver puddle at its feet. Its scarlet eyes were still fixed on the Mario. _Let me out. _Its voice was suddenly demanding. _I cannot remain confined in here. I will die._

_I can't do that,_ Mario typed. Ferox suddenly froze in place for a second. Its thoughts blasted in Mario's mind with an overwhelming anger.

_Let me go! Are you willing to let an innocent prisoner die? A defenseless one at that? I came aboard that ship without a fight!_

Mario closed the laptop, turned to Ferox, and said loudly, "I'm going to catch up with the Council." As he began to leave, chilling words echoed through his mind.

_I gave you the chance to let me leave this wretched prison without any of your friends getting hurt. You will regret your decision. I promise you that._

"Damned robot," Mario muttered and slammed the door shut.

* * *

"This is humiliating," Pit said as the Waddle Dees carried them via liter. The angel was dressed in baggy disco clothes with an enormous afro wig atop his head. If someone had passed by, they wouldn't have recognized Pit at all… and would laugh their heads off at his hairdo. Dedede chuckled.

"You look fine." A sly grin broke out on the penguin's face. "Nice afro, by the way."

"Shut up," Pit snapped. "I'm nervous enough. How far is it?"

"Not far, not far. We're almost there." King Dedede stretched out on the liter. "You smell nice too."

Pit glared at him. Dedede held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Don't get a cow. Besides, it's been a while since I've had a laugh. The Council's all screwed up and everything and I barely get any breaks." Dedede rolled his eyes. "They're all arguing over nothing and the Hands are no help at all. I can't stand it. And the people who can actually change things are hanging in the corner…"

"Hey," Pit said. "Zelda's doing her best."

"Did I say anything about your girlfriend?" the king answered coolly. "Heck no."

Pit looked away. "We're just friends."

"Just friends?" Dedede asked. "I thought you two made a cute couple. Did anything go wrong?"

"It didn't work out, I guess." Pit sighed. "We sorta… fell apart. That's why we ended it I guess… sometimes I think it's my fault. I mean, I didn't really visit her as much last month and we've been out of touch."

Dedede patted the angel's hand and smiled. "Look at me, Pit. C'mon, we can't waddle around in the past right now. It's all behind us. This is the present. And you know what cliché term they use: 'Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.'" He gave a loud laugh. "Aha! Listen to me! I sound like some idiot! Those acting classes I'm taking must be affecting my mind!"

Pit returned the smile. "I can tell."

Then it happened.

Everything went so fast that Pit didn't know what hit them. One moment he had been chatting with Dedede, and the next, he was lying on his back among the charred rubble, staring at the smoke hanging around the ceiling like thick smog. The angel barely registered the Waddle Dees running off and the huge figure slumped against the wall. He felt like he was in a dream, that nothing was real anymore, and that this was all an illusion, and that he should wake up any second now. Pit blinked, once, twice, before his senses returned to him. He turned his head to look at the figure once more and instantly sat up when he recognized it as Dedede.

Pain shot through him, forcing him to lie back down. Pit looked down and swore. A piece of sharp debris had lodged itself below his lungs. The angel slowly crawled over to the king, doing his best to ignore the pain. When he got there, he saw with alarm that Dedede was not breathing. Pit, now dizzy with the loss of blood, tried to remember what to do. Against his will, everything began to slip into darkness and his thoughts disappearing into a blank stupor.

"No," Pit muttered. "The radio…" He clung onto the frail memory like a lifeline and forced himself to stay awake. "In… the pockets…" Pit rummaged through Dedede's huge pockets and retrieved the handheld radio. His fingers clumsily fumbled for the on button and he accidentally dropped it in the process. Pit picked it up again and turned it on. In a breathless voice, he said, "Men down… two severely wounded in… in…" The words drifted away and the radio dropped from his slackening grip. Pit slumped to the ground and succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

The rescue team was conducted of a measly three people: Meta Knight, Ike, and Marth. The trio had been insultingly nicknamed the 'Three Musketeers', but no one ever dared to say the words in their faces. Only two people could get away with it. One of them was Master Hand. The other was Sonic.

It was a rather small team, which worried the Council members. After all, whatever had forced two veteran fighters, who were all extremely skilled, to fall back, how were the swordsmen going to accomplish the task ahead of them? Ideas were batted back and forth across the table and it all amounted to nothing. Master Hand stayed in the background, comfortable in his seat of power while the Smashers bickered among themselves.

"We could enlist the help of the Wireframes," Marth, who happened to be one of the Council members, said. "If there is any trouble, they could easily even out the odds."

"The Wireframes?" Bowser snorted. "We haven't heard from them since god knows when! I doubt that they will help us, unless we have something of value to trade. And we don't. End of discussion."

"Don't be so quick to judge," Zelda said. "They may be more than willing to help as this seems to be a threat to both of our cultures…"

"And how would you know?" Bowser countered.

"The team right now can handle it," Master Hand interrupted. "They know what to do and what not to do. I want to downsize the risks. A smaller force will be harder to detect than a large one. Besides, they'll be in and out before the enemy knows it. The element of surprise is on our side. All in favor in the plan, say 'aye'."

The Council looked at each other before a resigned chorus of 'ayes' rang through the air. Master Hand gave a thumbs up.

"Perfect. Now we can focus on the other matters that–"

The room started to shake and a huge _boom_ resounded through the Smash Mansion. Many of the Members had jumped to their feet at the sound. Master Hand didn't waste time lingering there. He flew out of the room and was soon followed by the rest of the Council…

* * *

"Jigglypuff jiggly puff puff jiggly!" Jigglypuff shouted at the pixilated people. The Infantry and Tanks summoned from the assist trophies blankly looked at her and continued to move the stretchers at a frustratingly slow pace. Jigglypuff slapped her head and glared at Lucario.

The Pokémon said, "Quicken the pace. We need to get them to the infirmary right away." Lucario frowned. "Jigglypuff, it would be best if you go with them. I will help direct the affairs here…."

"What happened?"

The two Pokémon turned to find Master Hand and the Council standing in the hallway. Jigglypuff puffed up larger. "Jiggly, jiggly puff jigglypufff!"

"We will inform you of everything when the patients are safely moved to the infirmary." Lucario said. "Right now, you are a liability, along with the other Council members, if you do not move away. The few Smashers here are severely injured and–"

"What happened?" Master Hand repeated coldly.

"It was a bomb," a monkey, Diddy Kong, emerged from the thick smoke, holding an advanced looking computer tablet. He coughed and said, "It was a big one too. Phew…"

"You can talk now?" Bowser growled. Diddy glanced at the Koopa King.

"R.O.B. gave me lessons in English and… ah… wait… yes… uh…" Diddy Kong began to stammer at the impatient sigh Master Hand gave. "The bomb was trigged by motion, just like a motion sensor bomb. But it isn't a motion sensor bomb, if that's what you're wondering, you know." He nervously looked at his tablet. "When this device exploded, it also emitted EM waves which knocked out some of our electronic equipment and such. So, it was designed to only harm a certain area so I can guess what our bomber wanted to do."

"Do tell," Master Hand said. Diddy Kong cleared his throat.

"He, or she, wanted to knock out some of our security computers and such so we could be rendered blind. And this explosion and such is to distract us from… uh… whatever they want to do."

Master Hand floated there, fingers twitching. It wasn't a good sign. "And what do you think they want to do?"

"I'm not sure–"

"This is Snake!" Lucario's radio sprang to life. "We have a major problem down here! R.O.B.'s missing and Ferox has escaped!"

* * *

**A/N: Oh, and the tension heightens XD; Enjoy and review :3  
**


	5. Suspicion

**T-R-A-I-T-O-R  
Suspicion  
**

"R.O.B. was infected by a virus," Snake said blandly. The lab that R.O.B. had kept so carefully neat was now a total mess. Papers were strewn everywhere, the desks were overturned, and all the valuable equipment were ground to dust or torn apart. Diddy Kong had been dragged along, much to the monkey's displeasure. He stood in a corner, plugging his tablet into some of the computers, glancing over his shoulder every now and then. Mario, who had been abruptly summoned by Master Hand, dabbed a q-tip in some foul smelling liquid. Master Hand himself was there, having impatiently demanded what had happened.

"Damned robot. Hold still, this might sting a bit." the plumber rubbed the q-tip over Snake's wound, which was on his arm. The agent barely flinched. "I didn't take it seriously when it threatened me."

"You communicated with it?" Master Hand floated closer to Mario. "Why wasn't I made aware of this?"

Mario shrugged and began to unwind some bandage. "We should focus on the main problem."

"Whatever took control of R.O.B. tried to take this power source." Snake held up the gooey mass. "I chased him off and got my little 'boo-boo'--" He had taken on a sarcastic tone. "--For my heroic efforts. Now, before the virus overtook him, R.O.B. managed to log in what he found out about our mysterious little goo."

"Well? What?" Master Hand demanded. "What did he find out?"

Snake tossed a flash drive over to him with his good hand. "Not much, but it'll have to do. Like I said, it's some type of power source. Almost infinite. We don't know how it gets its power, but we have our theories."

A loud screech came from Diddy. Everyone turned to the monkey instantly. Diddy Kong sheepishly grinned at the attention. "Uh... heh... sorry about that. Well, uh... I got a huge power spike from the hanger. One of the ships just flew off. Well, I suppose it was nothing... it was on schedule now that I look closer... the Three-- uh, the rescue team. Sorry for the false alarm... a ha ha ha..."

"God," Mario said. "Don't scare us like that--"

"Oh crap!" Diddy looked at Master Hand nervously. "There's a ship that flew off. It's not on the schedule and... oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!"

"Make sense, will you?!" the Hand demanded. "Did R.O.B. only teach you the words 'oh crap'?" He snatched a radio and turned it on. "Security teams to the flight hanger right away!"

"It's Falcon's cruiser!" Diddy Kong exclaimed. "It's off already. They'll never catch it!"

"Don't tell me what they can or can't do!" Master Hand snapped back. "Ike! If you see Falcon's cruiser, use all methods of force to bring it down!"

"What are you doing?!" Mario exclaimed. "R.O.B. could be... is on there!"

"We need to bring down Ferox," Master Hand said. "No matter what the cost. Don't argue with me, Mr. Nintendo! This is for the good of all the Smashers!"

The Italian plumber fell silent and looked at Diddy, who seemed equally shocked at the Hand's unexpected harshness. Master Hand couldn't be seriously considering shooting down that ship! He wouldn't risk harming, or killing, another Smasher!

Master Hand added coldly to Ike, "Report to me within the hour on your progress. Master Hand out."

* * *

It was dark. Very dark.

Pit felt like he was back in Angel Land, a very peaceful and calm dream. He hadn't felt like this in years. For a moment, he imagined himself curled up by his mother's side again, letting her softly sing a lullaby to him...

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound  
That saved a wretch like me  
I once was lost but now am found  
Was blind but now I see..."

_Pit blinked, once, twice, before his senses returned to him. He turned his head to look at the figure once more and instantly sat up when he recognized it as Dedede..._

"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear  
And grace my fears relieved  
How precious did that grace appear  
The hour I first believed..."

_Pain shot through him, forcing him to lie back down. Pit looked down and swore. A piece of sharp debris had lodged itself below his lungs. The angel slowly crawled over to the king, doing his best to ignore the pain. When he got there, he saw with alarm that Dedede was not breathing. Pit, now dizzy with the loss of blood, tried to remember what to do..._

"Through many dangers, toils and snares  
I have already come  
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far  
And grace will lead me home..."

_"No," Pit muttered. "The radio…" He clung onto the frail memory like a lifeline and forced himself to stay awake. "In… the pockets…" Pit rummaged through Dedede's huge pockets and retrieved the handheld radio. His fingers clumsily fumbled for the on button and he accidentally dropped it in the process. Pit picked it up again and turned it on. In a breathless voice, he said, "Men down… two severely wounded in… in…" The words drifted away and the radio dropped from his slackening grip. Pit slumped to the ground and succumbed to unconsciousness..._

The explosion! Dedede!

Everything came rushing back at him and he couldn't help himself. He screamed.

"Pit! It's all right! You're safe!" Firm but gentle hands held him down. "You're in the infirmary. Everything's all right, calm down..."

Vision came slowly back. At first, everything was a confused blur of colors, but soon shapes began to reappear. A blank wall. A window. A beautiful face staring at his. Pit stared ahead stupidly before saying clumsily, "Zelda? Is that you--?"

"Yes." The princess let go of him and sat down. Her voice was so quiet that Pit almost didn't hear it. "You scared me half to death. I wanted to come here right away, but Master Hand wouldn't allow the Council to be adjourned until Marth convinced him otherwise. You shouldn't move around too much," she added sternly when the angel struggled to sit up. "You were lucky that the medical team was able to find you so quickly."

"Dedede," Pit said breathlessly. "Is he all right?"

Zelda looked away. "I don't know."

An unsettling silence fell like a thick blanket. Pit laid back down.

"Oh," he said dully. He closed his eyes. "Damn, damn, damn!" Pit slammed his fist against the nearby table. "Why couldn't I think straight?! He's dead because of me!"

"Pit!" Zelda was standing up again and held his hand tightly in hers. "Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" Pit looked up and saw anger and fear in her gaze. "Master Hand is looking for people to blame," she said in a low voice. "If he hears you, you're as good as-" She abruptly broke off. "It isn't your fault," Zelda said. "You blame yourself for everything. Let it go."

"You don't understand." Pit listened to her though, and said nothing more. He looked down and noticed a golden ring on her finger. He grimly smiled. "Link?"

She started to pull her hand away when the angel grabbed it. Zelda looked him in the eyes. "We're engaged."

"It was a matter of time, anyway."

"Pit, let go."

"Are you afraid?"

"Why would I be?"

"You're shaking." It sounded like an accusation.

"The past few days have been extremely stressful." Pit still did not let go. "Link's waiting for me outside. If he sees this--"

He slowly loosened his grip. "Sorry." He stared out the window.

Zelda rubbed her hand, as though something had burned it. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "Around noon. Tonight, if I can manage it."

Pit didn't face her. "Sure."

The princess stood there, looking as though she wanted to say something. Zelda hesitated and then walked out. Pit let the tears he had been holding back run down his face.

* * *

"Who the heck did this?" Diddy screeched at the leader of the security team. "How am I supposed to work when the controls are shot out to hell by your--"

"Master Hand told you to do a job," Captain Falcon said irritably. "So do it. You can fix it, can't you, monkey?"

"Of course I can!" Diddy exclaimed. "But it'll take me a couple of hours and by then, god knows what will happen in that amount of time!"

"Look," Falcon said. "Ferox is out there, possibly going straight toward the enemy to deliver information that would get us all killed. And R.O.B.'s missing, and we're assuming he's with Ferox. Let's say that the enemy manages to get more information out of R.O.B. Let's see... that'll make us very well screwed. So, Diddy, if I were you, I'd do a lot less talking and a lot more working!"

Diddy sighed. "All right, all right. I see your point. I'll have it fixed in about..."

"Two hours?"

"I was thinking more of the lines of five hours, but, if you want two hours, I think I'll manage."

"Good. I'll check in on your progress by then."

The bounty hunter left. Diddy walked over to the broken controls. Master Hand had ordered Diddy to run a scan of the entire Smash Mansion and check if any of the ships had been tampered with in any way. The problem was that some idiot had destroyed the most of the control conduits. It was going to take him forever, a hell lot more than two hours, to fix everything.

"My gosh," Diddy muttered as he studied the damage. "You'd think they'd have some sort of protection around these areas. All righty now, let's see what's wrong with you."

Just as he was about to plug in his tablet, someone grabbed him from behind and stuffed a gag in his mouth. Diddy wildly fought back, kicking and punching the best he could against his mysterious captor.

"Hey, Diddy, chill. It's just Ness. Don't make such a fuss. They'll hear you."

Diddy turned his head around to see the PSI youth. Ness's face was dead serious. "I'm sorry I have to do this buddy, but we really need a person who knows their way around computers."

The monkey struggled harder. Ness's hold on him was strong though and he couldn't break out. "Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way!"

Diddy managed to punch Ness in the eye. The boy let go and Diddy made a dash for the exit. He spat out the gag and screamed, "Help! Help!"

_Whack!_

Diddy sprawled onto the floor. Ness stood over him, bat in hand, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Sorry, Diddy." Diddy tried to move, but his muscles were frozen and refused to respond. Damn those PSI powers. Ness bent down and picked him up. "You're coming with us."

* * *

**A/N: Nothing like a little romance, huh? Sorry for the long wait! School's been a lot more busier than I thought it would be. I promise the next couple of chapters will come quicker. Enjoy and review! :3**


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